Under My Watch
by Plato's Dream Girl
Summary: Naruto’s the sixth Hokage and Hinata’s the head of the Hyuuga Clan. Will Naruto’s promise to change the Hyuuga Clan come between the two friends? Hinata/Naruto pairing.
1. Chapter 1

**Under My Watch**

**By: Plato's Dream Girl**

**Summary:** Naruto's the sixth Hokage and Hinata's the head of the Hyuuga Clan. Will Naruto's promise to change the Hyuuga Clan come between the two friends? Hinata/Naruto pairing.

**Authors note w/ disclaimer:** This story includes five installments, so it's pretty short, but it gets to the point. Hey if Tokko could wrap up their series in thirteen episodes, I can write a five part fic! Oh yeah, I don't own Naruto.

**Part One: It Started With One Promise**

It started with one promise. The promise of a lifetime; at the Chunin Exams Naruto had promised Neji that he would change the Hyuuga Clan's tradition of marking branch members with the cage bird seal. Naruto had never forgotten that promise, and once he had become Hokage, he began the tedious task of changing one of Konoha's oldest and proudest clans.

To understand Naruto's perspective, one only has to examine his… dualistic thinking pattern. Either you're doing the right thing, or you're doing the wrong thing. Branding branch members of the clan with seals that suppress their innate abilities, and coercing those individual to conform through the use of physical torture is wrong ---and the right thing to do is get rid of said seal. However, that outlook wasn't held by the upper echelon of the Hyuuga Clan.

It started with one promise. She had promised herself that she would become stronger and prove that she was the rightful heir of the Hyuuga Clan. Technically, the position was hers…it was her birthright after all…a birthright she and her father, felt at one time she did not deserve. Back then she was far too fragile and timid to lead one of Konoha's strongest and most respected clans. For a long time she doubted herself, but words of encouragement from one blue eye genin changed her, and she began the tedious task of changing herself. In the end she did, and now stands proudly as the head of the Hyuuga Clan.

Lady Hinata supported the use of the caged bird seal; because it ensured that the secrets of the Hyuuga Clan would be protected. Being the Head of the Hyuuga Clan, Lady Hinata was privy to information that was withheld from outsiders. Long ago, before Konoha existed, the secrets of the byakugan had almost been revealed to a dangerous enemy by a member of the Hyuuga Clan. In response to this treacherous circumstance, the caged bird seal and the separation of main and branch families were installed to keep this incident from happening again. Unaware of this dark piece of Hyuuga history, the Sixth Hokage concluded that the main branch's refusal to stop the use of the caged bird seal stemmed from arrogance and cruelty...and Naruto had voiced his opinions to Hinata quite clearly.

When Hiashi Hyuuga had turned over his position as the head of the Hyuuga Clan to Lady Hinata, Naruto had been ecstatic. He grew up with Hinata, ran missions with her, they were even friends. He knew deep down in his heart that she was a good person, and believed in doing the right thing. Naruto assumed once Hinata became the head of the Hyuuga Clan that she would rid the clan of the practice. However, in the end Naruto was shocked when Hinata held the same opinion as her father. At first Naruto had been sad, but sadness turned to anger when she explained to him that the practices and traditions of the Hyuuga Clan were not his jurisdiction in the village.

Needless to say their friendship suffered. Lady Hinata no longer blushed and held the Sixth Hokage on the pedestal she had once placed him on. Yes, she still respected him, but she was unwilling to proscribe the preventive measures of her clan to appease the temperamental blonde she had once adored. Naruto no longer felt the need to protect Hinata from the world. In the past, Naruto had viewed Hinata as his fragile friend that needed protection from the bad guys in this world--- but in a devastating turn of events another one of his friends was siding with the bad guys. Naruto was convinced that Hinata was supporting the wrong decision, and brashly explained to her that her views on the caged bird seal arose from arrogance; Hinata was convinced that Naruto was unaware of the controversy surrounding her decision, and was upset that Naruto would think so lowly of her.

An altercation was bound to occur between the two distant friends...where they would finally be able to discuss their differences in opinion that was slowly but surely tearing them apart. It happened before dawn when Lady Hinata and the Sixth Hokage slipped out of their beds to meet at the Hokage Great Stone Faces without their guards.

_The stars slowly began to fade into the night's sky, as the first few rays of sunshine began to cast itself over Konoha. Beneath that sky, a beautiful young woman gazed upon the fleeing stars from atop of the Hokage Great Stone Faces. Dressed in a light kimono appropriate for a warm summer's morning, she gracefully fit the image of the head of a well respected clan. Although her focus seemed to lie solely on the stars twinkling before her, she was anxiously awaiting the sounds of footsteps hitting the stone securely below her. _

_A few moments later those footsteps sounded. _

_Tearing her gaze away from the dazzling dawn's sky, she looked over to her left and spotted a handsome young man reclining lazily against the stone wall. He was dressed in black sweat pants and a white t-shirt that clung tightly to his chest like a second skin. _

_Hinata's breath caught in her throat before she glanced away. "You're late." She announced quietly while she looked over Konoha._

_Naruto's eyes roamed over Hinata before he sighed heavily. "Paperwork" was his lackadaisical alibi. An awkward silence fell over the two as Naruto watched Hinata stare at the village. The two remained that way until Naruto pushed away from the wall and walked over to her side. "The Hyuuga Clan needs to stop its use of the caged bird seal," Naruto stated firmly. The Sixth Hokage had never been one to beat around the bush. _

_Hinata's eyes narrowed in annoyance._

"_The caged bird seal has a purpose in our clan. The details of said purpose cannot be shared with the populace, but they are important--- as you know, things happen for a reason---and that reason led to the use of the caged bird seal." Her voice was calm, yet her tone exposed her frustration. She had explained this to him before._

_He had heard this before--- and he wasn't interested in hearing the Hyuuga Clan's recycled explanations. "There is no justification for branding family members, and fellow clansmen, Hinata-sama." Naruto snapped---livid from the aristocratic explanations used to justify the main branches cruel actions. _

_Hinata's turned and glared at Naruto bitterly. _

_His use of the honorific "sama" clearly was an insult---he was basically calling her a spoiled brat. Hinata was livid. "Grow up Naruto," Hinata seethed. "Were not little kids anymore…I get it you have ideas on how the world should work, but sometimes the right thing and the hardest thing are the same. Damn it---why do you have to be so dense." Hinata stopped her tirade when her words finally caught up with her. She had just insulted the Hokage--- regardless of their familiarity with one another--- her actions were inexcusable. She needed to apologize, and she opened her mouth to do so, but Naruto's laughter cut her off. _

_Was she serious? _

_Hinata blinked. Did she say something to elicit such a response? _

_Naruto crossed his arms over his chest, and smirked smugly. "If anyone's dense Hinata, it's you." _

_The sun rose above the mountain range in east, and a golden hue illuminated the two people standing upon the Fourth Hokage's head._

_Naruto's eyes widened slightly when Hinata's eyes began to glow in the new light. The bitterness and anger that once overcame him slowly seeped away as a new emotion swept over the Sixth Hokage. An emotion that he had put on hold the day she told him, "the Hyuuga will continue the use of the caged bird seal under her watch." An emotion he desperately wanted to act upon, but refrained from doing so---it must have been the light…it could have been the fact that her eyes began to water once he insulted her…whatever it was the Hokage's heart wretched painfully---squeezed by longing and regret. _

_Hinata turned away from Naruto before wrapping her arms around herself. "Do you really believe I enjoyed branding my little sister with that seal?" Hinata whispered softly, guilt clearly evident in her voice. _

_Naruto reached out to touch Hinata's shoulder, but stopped once he felt a familiar presence. His arm fell to his side, yet his eyes remained on Hinata. _

_Lady Hinata sighed in relief when she sensed the presence of Naruto's guards. "I will refrain from wasting anymore of your time Hokage-sama. Our conversation was very enlightening, sir." Hinata faced Naruto, bowed in respect, and then disappeared in a blur. The only evidence of her presence---were the tear drops that remained on the stone. _


	2. Chapter 2

**It's been a long time since I update this. Sorry for the wait. I'm not sure if I love this chapter, but the next one should be better. **

**Part Two: Hinata **

Lady Hinata was not to be disturbed. Or at least that was the message that had been relayed to Naruto by Hanabi Hyuuga. According to the teenager, her sister was currently unable to meet with the Hokage to discuss "personal matters," because of clan related business. The Sixth Hokage sent the girl away with a sealed letter and an order. "Deliver this letter to Lady Hinata," the blonde muttered gruffly.

Hanabi bowed and left quietly. The paled eyed teenager was perplexed by the usually joyful Hokage's attitude and her sister's recent self seclusion. What exactly had happened between the two friends?

Hanabi and Hinata had always had a strange relationship. During their childhood Hanabi had viewed Hinata as her weaker rival for the Hyuuga's head position. However, her feelings of superiority were shattered once her father abdicated his position and turned over control of the clan to Hinata. That same night, Hinata had branded Hanabi with the caged bird seal. Hanabi had changed that night; the once cocky and carefree teenager had become a quiet and tamed member of the Hyuuga Clan. Neji had once said that all Hyuuga's were slaves to the Hyuuga clan, and in Hanabi's mind that made her sister her master. And Hanabi loved Hinata as much as a slave could love their master.

Arriving at her sister's study, Hanabi stopped and bowed to the guard at the door. The young man nodded back and smiled kindly at the talented teenager. "Do you have a message for Hinata-sama?" Hanabi returned her cousin's smile. "It's a letter from the Hokage Neji-niisan." Hanabi held out the letter to Neji. Accepting the letter Neji nodded. "Hinata-sama's meeting her advisors. You're excused from anymore errands for the day, Hinata-sama's orders." Hanabi bid Neji farewell, and headed towards the training grounds. Her mind focused on her sister and the Orange Hokage's recently weird behavior.

_A cup of green tea slowly chilled as it remained untouched. One advisor noticed this fact while the others rattled on. Unimpressed by his fellow advisors inability to read their advisee's mannerisms the older man interrupted their spat. _

_"Have you spoken with the Hokage about this?" He asked sternly._

_"Clan business belongs within the clan. Once a decision has been made I will inform the Hokage of… my decision." Hinata answered emotionlessly. _

_Unimpressed by the girl's "poker face" the man chided the young leader. "The Hyuuga clan has established itself as a trusted member of Konoha. I'm aware of your history with the current Hokage; however childhood friendship has nothing to do with Konoha politics." _

_Silver pale eyes stared into pastel lavender eyes, in the end lavender looked away. Having lost this battle of wills Hinata muttered "I will inform the Hokage as soon as possible."_

_The victor nodded and closed the book Lady Hinata discreetly refrained from looking at. "Such a decision should be made with the upmost care. I trust that you will make the right decision in time, Lady Hinata. Until then your advisors shall look into this matter, to present you with the information necessary to make the best decision for the sake of our clan." With those words their meeting had come to an end. _

_The outspoken advisor remained while the others left. "It would be in your best interest to pay attention to the suggestions of your council on this matter."_

_Lady Hinata stared at the older man before laughing gently. "My advisors are unaware of their leader's affinities. Whatever should I do? Establish a new council perhaps? "_

_Annoyed the old man looked away from Hinata. "You've grown far too cynical Hinata. As your advisor I am proud, but as a father I'm disappointed." _

_Hinata chose to ignore his comment. _

_Hiashi stood up and looked at his daughter. "You were chosen to be my successor. I have faith that I've made the correct decision. " His words masked their true meaning, but Hiashi knew Hinata understood. _

_"Yes father…you shall not regret your decision."_

_Hiashi left, without uttering another word. _

_Hinata closed her eyes, as a familiar and welcomed presence entered the room. "How would you like to be a member of my council?" The young woman asked. _

_Neji rolled his eyes. "I prefer ANBU missions, over running someone else's life." _

_"So do I," Hinata replied solemnly._

_Neji regretted his choice of words. "I didn't mean…"_

_Hinata waved off his excuse and smiled. "I was just feeling sorry for myself." Opening her eyes Hinata fixed herself in her chair. "You should take Hanabi to your next sparring session with Lee-san and Tenten-san. She relies on the Hyuuga fighting style too much."_

_"I will do that Hinata-sama." Neji answered before handing Hinata Naruto's letter. "By the way Naruto sent that letter with Hanabi-chan."_

_Hinata accepted the letter and deposited on a stack of papers on the corner of her desk. Unwilling to explain what occurred between herself and Naruto, Hinata ignored Neji's look of confusion, and dismissed him for the day._

_Later that night, Hinata read Naruto's letter. _

Hinata,

Are we going to leave things the way they are between us?

I hope not. Even though we don't agree on much these days, I still consider you one of my closest friends. Do you remember when I became Hokage? I still remember how you cried silently in the background, while everyone else congratulated me. You were always quietly cheering me on, but it wasn't until that day that I realized how much you believed in me.

I believed in you to, as well. After we unsuccessfully tried to track Sasuke down using that stupid bug all those years ago, I knew you were strong. The day you became the leader of the Hyuuga clan I wasn't surprised. You proved to everyone that dedication and hard work could pay off in the end. We both had to fight for everyone's respect and we did it. In a way we did it together.

I'm sorry, but I won't apologize in this letter for what I said, because I want to apologize to you in person. I want to tell you that I was being an idiot. I didn't mean what I said. I never meant to hurt you in any way shape or form. At least that's what I might say if I saw you in person.

Always,

Naruto Uzumaki


	3. Chapter 3

**Part Three: Angry Ramen**

**Disclaimer: I don t own Naruto. But if Iruka and Itachi are ever up for sale their mine!**

**An Update: Hey guys thanks for your reviews! With school I hardly ever get to write, but I finished this. Please enjoy, and I promise part 4 will be here soon.**

Hinata read Naruto's letter before rereading it again. After reading the letter for the thirtieth time, the young woman nervously bit her lower lip. Naruto's words had greatly unsettled her.

The Hokage's letter was polite, genuine, and considerate; leaving Hinata in a state of disarray. Due to their altercation and constant bickering over the caged bird seal, Hinata had been under the impression that they would avoid each other's presence unless necessary. However, Naruto had broken their unspoken agreement.

It was then Hinata realized that she was angry. Clutching the letter tightly in her hand, Hinata stood swiftly and exited her office.

On the left side of the desk a pile of untouched missions were stacked in a messy pile. On the right side, a pile of jutsu scrolls were unraveled, spilling over the side of the desk. Last, but not least a bowel of hot pork ramen rested in the center of the desk, as trails of steam wafted from the bowl.

The man who had ordered the ramen, jokingly referred to as "Konoha's ramen loving Hokage," stared at the steaming bowl with an uncharacteristic lack of gusto. Picking up his chopsticks the Hokage sighed and picked up a piece of pork. Eyeing the piece of meat sadly the young man placed it in his mouth and sighed. No matter what happened in the village, with his friends, or with Sasuke ramen would always be there.

Preparing to eat another piece the Hokage froze when he heard someone knocking on his door. Glancing outside the window the Hokage realized how late it was, and blinked in confusion. It was rare for a visitor to arrive at his office at this time. Placing his chopsticks down the Hokage called to his visitor, "Enter."

The door opened revealing a very upset Hinata Hyuuga. As Hinata closed the door behind her, Naruto stood. Noting the look of frustration on the young woman's face; Naruto immediately asked. "What's wrong?"

Ignoring the fact that the Hokage was clearly concerned about her, Hinata resisted the urge to set his concern to ease; instead the young woman raised the letter in front of her face. "Why?"

The Hokage blinked in confusion, "What?" The Hokage questioned.

Hinata's eyes narrowed and she walked to the front of the Hokage's desk and held the letter out to him. The Hokage accepted the letter and glanced at it momentarily before setting it down on his desk. For some unknown reason his letter had upset Hinata, and he accepted that fact without an outward reaction. After years of diplomatic negotiations and dealing with Sakura and Tsunade, Naruto had become an expert at dealing with emotional women.

Naruto ran through his basic course of action for such a situation. Firstly, allow the upset woman to vent and say whatever she needs. Secondly, he'll acknowledge whatever she said and apologize repeatedly. Finally, he'll offer to take her to her favorite restaurant for dinner. Since enacting this tactic three years ago it had never failed the young man. "Tell me what I wrote that made you angry Hinata."

"You can't just apologize and think everything's going to be okay! We've been fighting for years, and we're not friends anymore. You think I'm another arrogant member of the Hyuuga's main branch, who has superiority issues. So stop pretending like you care about me, when you're only being nice to me to fulfill your quest to make everyone like you!" Years of built of resentment poured from the young woman's mouth as her eyes began to water.

Naruto's eyes narrowed in anger, "Don't put words in my mouth Hinata-chan." In the blink of the eye Naruto was standing before Hinata. Breaking away from his usual strategy Naruto placed his hands on Hinata's shoulders and gazed deeply into her eyes. "I am your friend Hinata, and I'll always be your friend. I've seen the way you treat the members of your clan, and how much they love you. Never once did I believe that you were keeping the sealing practice alive because you wanted to. I can see it in your eyes that you hate it as much as I do. That's why I wanted to support you in doing what would make you happy. Damn it Hinata you nearly fell apart after you branded Hanabi. I know that every time you place that seal on a member of your clan you die a little, and seeing you hurt like that kills me."

Hinata tried to step away, but Naruto refused to let go. Large tears spilled from Hinata's eyes, and she lowered her head in shame. "I thought you hated me. Why shouldn't you, even I hate me!" Weakened by her confession Hinata fell forward into Naruto's chest and cried, as her childhood friend held her tightly in his arms.

~~~

Sniffling softly Hinata looked up at Naruto and smiled shyly, before whispering her thanks. Naruto smiled before brushing away a stray piece of hair from her face. At some point or another in the night, the two had ended up on the floor leaning against the Hokage's desk.

"It's almost morning," Hinata observed while playing with the sleeve of Naruto's jacket. Naruto nodded in acknowledgement. "I didn't tell my guards where I was going last night. Neji-niisan will be worried," Hinata added after a moment of silence.

Pulling Hinata closer Naruto responded gently, "You should go. But can we just stay like this for a few more minutes. I missed you."

It had been years since Hinata's cheeks had been dusted with a bright red blush, but her signature blush appeared once her brain processed Naruto's words. Shyly the Hyuuga head stuttered out "yes," before closing her eyes; relishing the feeling of being held in Naruto's arm.


End file.
